(Phoenix, Ariz. January 10, 2022). The Ernest W. McFarland Foundation, a Phoenix nonprofit, wishes to inform its supporters of the launch of the “Ernest W. McFarland Solar Park” near Dateland in Yuma County, Arizona.
Projected to be the largest solar facility in Arizona, at 550 MW plus 1,740 MWh storage, at completion the 3109-acre plant will deploy over 1 million solar panels.
Phase One of the project is slated for completion by Q1/Q2 2023.
Energy produced at the facility is expected to offset over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, helping to fulfill the United State’s commitments to transition to clean energy.
Ernest “Mac” McFarland (1894-1984), a WWI USN Navy veteran, served as U.S. Senator (1941-1953), U.S. Senate Majority Leader (1951-1953), Arizona Governor (1955-1959), and as Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court (1968). He is the only Arizonan to serve in the highest office in all three branches of Arizona government.
Widely considered as a Father of the G.I. Bill (Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944), McFarland is credited with the drafting this visionary legislation to benefit American veterans. He is also the founder of KTVK, Channel 3, in Phoenix. .
Bill Lewis, speaking for the Ernest W. McFarland Foundation, said, “My grandfather, who everyone knew simply as Mac, worked to bring opportunities to Arizonans throughout his life. He was an early advocate of solar energy and would have been proud to have this project as part of his legacy.”
More information on the scope of the project and partnering corporations will be announced later this year. For questions, email info@ewmcarland.org
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Ernest McFarland of Arizona, June 11, 2021, Knoxville Focus
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Kamala Harris makes history - as a Westerner, August 11, 2020, The Hill
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Big Mac, January 2019, Phoenix Magazine
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hostess Karen Nowicki, October 16, 2018
